These days, when you think of quick and easy weight loss it is no surprise that our minds turn to celebrities and how they lose weight like this constantly. Only recently the Beyonce Knowles weight loss diet was reported in a magazine as consuming nothing but maple syrup and chili powder for a whole two weeks - maple syrup for energy, and chili powder to keep her metabolism up. In this time she was said to have lost 18lbs in weight just before the Oscars. Whilst all this may sound great to many, these kinds of extreme dieting rituals will lead to severe stomach problems, advanced aging of the skin, and many other long term health issues - just ask your doctor.

Fortunately, for those of us living in the real world without personal trainers or live-in nannies, there are more responsible quick and easy weight loss tips that we can stick to that will still give us some great results without compromising our internal organs.

Beyonce had one goal in mind, I need to look good and fit in to this dress for the Oscars. The average woman, thankfully, doesn't have quite the same pressures. So her goals would be a far less extreme, I need to look good on the beach this summer, but I need to do it healthily, feel good doing it, and it needs to fit into my daily routine - a taller order some might say.

It All Starts With Exercise

Yes, the four letter word that is "exercise". But by exercise we just mean that you need to up your activity levels by about 25% - 35% not run the San Francisco marathon tomorrow. Lots of little changes will add up to a few pounds dropped in a week. For example, instead of parking your car in the designated bay for your apartment, why not use the much further away guest parking. Two or three trips to your car each day and you'll be well on your way to 2 or 3 pounds weight loss per week.

Another great quick and easy weight loss tip is to walk across the office to speak with a colleague instead of just emailing them across the room. This will not only get you up and out of your seat, but will also strengthen relationships that you have with your colleagues.

What's Eating You?

So these small increases in activity will do nothing if you're still snacking at your desk throughout the day. Find healthy alternatives like dried fruit, nuts and berries, and grapes and strawberries to satisfy your afternoon sweet cravings.

After you carry on with small increases in activity and small cut backs in those afternoon treats - analyze your results after a week; if you've not lost at least 2 - 3 pounds then increases activity some more, and / or decrease the snacks even more - whichever you found most easiest to do.